Legal Environment of Business BUL4310 Syllabus, Fall 2016

Robert W. Emerson, Aug. 18, 2016

Warning: This Syllabus is neither a contract nor an offer, and the professor may alter it at any time (usually with an updated date,
above, in the copyright notice). Be sure to check the course website to verify you have the most current syllabus.

Professor:

Robert W. Emerson, J.D.

Some of my articles are on the Social Science Research Network at

http://ssrn.com/author=86449
Email: bul4310.prof@warrington.ufl.edu
Office Phone: 352-392-8794

Emergency Phone Number 352-262-8536

Office: Stuzin 227 (if not there, check Stuzin 201)

Email: bul4310.ta@gmail.com (do NOT write to this
email if also writing to Prof. Emersons email or if putting messages through via the course website)
The Dept. Chair is Prof. Robert Thomas, whose office is in Stuzin 201.
The TAs for the course include several law student TAs (2nd or 3rd year students at UFs Levin School of Law)
Over a dozen former, excellent BUL4310 students are Undergrad Assistants for BUL 4310.

THE LIVE CLASS

Classes are taped in Heavener 140 every Tuesday and Thursday starting at approximately 1:55 pm and 3:00 pm
(7th and 8th periods). If at all possible, come to the live classes, no matter what your section is. There will be room!
And you can come to one class but not the other (and/or arrive late or leave early, if need be). THERES MUCH
MORE LATER IN THIS SYLLABUS ABOUT WHY THE LIVE CLASS IS GOOD TO ATTEND, IF YOU CAN,

OFFICE HOURS
Prof. Emerson: Tues. & Thurs. (live class days): 12:30 - 1:15 pm. If not in Stuzin 227 (my office), I am likely in Stuzin 201.
Law Student and Undergrad Assistant TAs: Online and Heavener Office Hours to be announced.

Special Undergrad Office Events:

(1) on Wed., Sept. 7, "Success in BUL 4310 (including "So You Want to Write a Term
Paper?"); and
(2) on Wed., Oct. 5, and Wed., Nov. 9 - "Prep for the test."
Times usually mid-day - and locations will be announced. We will make arrangements for interested online
students to have access to the undergrad assistants by phone, text, and/or online by videotaping.

CRITICAL DATES AND TIMES

First Day of Class
Optional Term Paper Outline*
Exam #1
Optional Term Paper - the actual Papers*
Extra Credit (either or both projects)*
Exam #2
Last Day of Class
Final Exam

Tues., Aug. 23
Due Mon., Sept. 12
Wed., Oct. 12 at 8:15 pm (arrive by 8:00 pm)
Due Wed., Oct. 26 (you can turn it in earlier!)
Due Fri., Nov. 4 (you can turn it in earlier!)
Wed., Nov. 16 at 8:15 pm (arrive by 8:00 pm)
Tues., Dec. 6
Tues., Dec. 13 at 5:25 pm (arrive at 5:10 pm)

Rescheduled live classes: Due to academic conferences or other commitments, I may cancel a live day of classes and
replace it with an announced set of classes, usually held at the same location, Heavener 140, and always (of course)
recorded as regular classes. For example, there will be no live classes on Tues., Aug. 30. Instead, there will be an
additional class (4:05-4:55 pm -9th period) on both Thurs., Aug. 25 and Thurs., Sept. 1 (in other words, three classes in a
row on those days). Any other changes/rescheduling will be announced.

* Submitted in the Assessments folder on the course website.

Use Email to Contact Prof. Emerson and the TAs

Use email. Only use other means if you have no email access, it is an emergency, and/or you need an immediate
response (352-262-8536). I check email often and normally reply to it quicker than other means of contact.
Where should you send emails?
bul4310.ta@gmail.com - questions about grades, exams, term papers, and administrative concerns

bul4310.prof@warrington.ufl.edu - substantive questions about lectures and readings

(and, if you want, if TAs have

not responded for over 48 hours please then include what you sent to the TAs).

Do NOT initially send an email to both e-mail accounts concerning the same question or problem.

In every email, please state your name, UFID, phone number, whether you are an on-campus
student or taking the course via Study Abroad, and include all prior correspondence/emails.
Including this information is necessary due to the large size of this class.
Problems with accessing lectures or other technical issues should be directed to the Technology Assistance
Center (TAC), 352.273.0248, Heavener Hall Room 206, tac@warrington.ufl.edu

TESTING LOCATIONS AND OTHER INFORMATION

There is NO ProctorU for this course this semester (Fall 2016).
Students enrolled in the international (study abroad) sections of BUL 4310 have their testing arrangements
made through the Colleges international programs office. All other students enrolled in BUL 4310 this semester
(such as those in sections 0996, 1022 and 16B4) take the exams in Gainesville on campus. The campus locations
for all three exams (including the final exam) will be posted.
All three exams (including the final exam) are non-cumulative. Each exam is open-book, opennote, and covers not just the respective readings (page 4, below), but also lectures. You can bring
anything in paper (e.g., besides your course books and notes, also a foreign language-English
dictionary or even just a regular dictionary).
Exams consist of a few True/False questions (1 point each) & many Multiple Choice questions (2.5
points each), with the total points always meeting or exceeding 100 points. Exam scores are always on a
100 point scale, even if more than 100 points were possible because I adjusted scores upward or because
the total points on the test already exceeded 100.
Only for exceptional reasons will make-up exams be provided. If at all possible, contact us via email
at least one week before a scheduled exam, or as soon as you practically can, if you must take the exam on
an alternate date or time (e.g., because of a wedding or a funeral). Exam make-ups are not guaranteed. In
those exceptional cases when a make-up is granted, please note: To maintain consistency with and fairness
to the entire class, it is my policy to not give a make-up more than three days before or after the exams
scheduled date. If you are considering taking this class one semester with one or more make-up exams, or
during another semester when you can take all three exams at the scheduled date and time, choose the
latter semester. And if you miss a scheduled exam, you must have an exceptional reason for your missing it.

DISCUSSION BOARD THREADS: Besides the class lectures and office hours, there are discussion board
threads and there is always email. You have multiple avenues to ask questions and discuss anything. In fact,
besides just watching lectures and reading on your own, this class, although large, offers students many
opportunities to engage in participatory learning.
REVIEW SESSIONS: As announced in class and on the website, one class before each exam will be
predominantly review sessions for the upcoming exam. Besides coming to class then, feel free to post on the
website in the Discussion Board questions you have or topics you would like for me to review.
TOPICAL TALKS: To have some class time answering questions (either on or off topic!), and to allow for review
sessions before each exam, a number of comparatively short topical talks are posted in the video lectures section
of the course website before we get to those topics in that part of the course. Specifically, the topical talks are, in
this order, with length indicated in minutes and seconds after each topical talk title:

TEST 1 Topics (five):

1. Partnerships (27:10)
2. Corp. Law/Delaware
(17:55)

3. Directors & Boards, incl.

Corp. Oppor. Doctrine
(16:44)

4. Piercing Corporate Veil

(19:44)

5. Ultra Vires (14:01)

TOTAL time: 95:34

TEST 2 Topics (four):

1. Infancy (22:18)
2. Parol Evidence Rule
(10:48)

3. Employment at Will
(22:09)

4. Americans with
Disabilities Act
(16:28)

TOTAL time: 71:43

Page 2 of 17

TEST 3 Topics (four):

1. Legal Fees (21:57)
2. Attorney-Client
Privilege (27:29)
3. Defenses to Negligence
(44:01)

4. Warranties (25:32)
TOTAL time: 118:59
Fall 2016 BUL4310 Syllabus- Robert Emerson

In the lectures, the Law, Society and Business (LSB) text, and the Supplemental Information texts placed on the
course website, there are references to Topical Talk coverage. On the other hand, LSB pages or Supplemental
Information items are not stated in the Topical Talks.

VIDEOS:
Many videos referred to in the LSB are YouTube videos:
Remember: Generally, to find YouTube videos produced by Prof. Robert
Emerson - https://www.youtube.com/user/robertwemersonufl/videos (69 videos), and
https://www.youtube.com/user/RobertWEmerson/videos (17 videos with one skit AVERY AND AESOP on
Corporate Opportunity doctrine - being in four acts (4 videos)).
Some videos are in the course website:
Part 1 A Tale of Agency; and A Discussion of a Tale of Agency
Part 2 A Bet at Betty's; Calculating Damages, and Calculating Damages Discussion;
Card Shark Skit, and the Alleged Card Shark (video of a Deposition for a lawsuit about the Card
"Sharking"); Savvy Sales Ploy; and Watch That Bumper
Part 3 - A Guy Don't Have to Mean It (music video); J.D. Jeopardy (An Antitrust and Competition Law
Game Show); Karla's Katering and Kostumes; Customer Service, Where Are You?;
A Talk on Discovery
You do not have to watch these videos, but many students have found them useful to understanding, or
elaborating upon, concepts mentioned in lectures and the books.

BOOKS AND MATERIALS: There are two required books for the course: (1) Business Law (Barrons, 6th ed.
2015) ISBN No. 978-1-4380-0511-9 (it has a brown cover) (available at various campus stores and online); (2)
Law, Society and Business (LSB) (2016) - ISBN 978-1-938315-54-1 (blue cover, indicating 2016 on the back and
inside on the front page) (available at Target Copy and also on the course website, one part at a time).
Information about Royalties: No royalties or any other remuneration are earned for the texts (the Barrons
book or LSB) except, per University rules, for initial sales of the Barrons book, with a new retail price of about
$18.95 (cheaper copies can be obtained either used or, perhaps even for new books, online). Only for those retail
sales of a new book is there any royalty given at most, about $1.50 per book. (Of course, no royalties are earned on
rentals of books or on sales of used books.) If you run the numbers the hundreds of hours that go into producing a
quality revision of a text - you can see that I do not write the Barrons book for the money (although over 90% of
sales are NOT to UF students). Writing and revising (updating) texts is, actually, a labor of love. I enjoy it and
learn from it, as the process reinforces and improves my understanding of the law. This makes me a better
professor, both as a researcher and a teacher.

ANNOUNCEMENTS DURING THE SEMESTER: Important announcements are posted on the website and
usually also sent via the class listserv. It is critical that you frequently check the announcements page on the
website and your Gatorlink email account throughout the semester. Your failure to report a missing grade or to
otherwise make an inquiry shortly after grades are posted is foolish behavior!

BUL4310 WEBSITE
Frequent use of the course website is fundamental, as students can access announcements, exam
information, lecture recordings, their own grades, and other data.
If you start a discussion thread, please ensure that your name is indicated.
Discussion Boards frequently contain discussions of the course material, with student questions and my
responses. I can access statistics indicating student authoring or reading of postings. Any student posting that is
frivolous, rude, vulgar, inappropriate, commercial in nature, or irrelevant for the class as a whole will be removed.
Also, messages may be erased if they are no longer pertinent.
Chat sessions can be accessed at any time, including during TAs online office hours.
WARNING: The lectures are your Professors property. The lectures shall not be used for any commercial
purpose. VIOLATION SUBJECTS YOU TO VARIOUS PENALTIES, INCLUDING TERMINATION OF ALL
GATORLINK PRIVILEGES, PER UNIVERSITY RULES. Your access to the lectures and the website cannot be
transferred to anyone else who may use that access for a commercial purpose - e.g., drafting and selling notes.

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Fall 2016 BUL4310 Syllabus- Robert Emerson

SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS: Students requesting classroom accommodations must first register with the
Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student, who must then
provide this documentation to a law student TA or the professor when requesting accommodation.

STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE: The course is split into three sections, with one exam for each section.
Every section has several parts, with some parts taking much more time (in terms of lectures and readings) than
other parts. Tests generally tend to cover subjects proportionate to how much time the material is covered in
lectures (live and topical) and in the LSB.
Here are the READINGS

Sec. 1: Legal Systems &

Business Formation

Sec. 2: Making Deals

Sec. 3: Rights & Wrongs

Lectures (and Topical Lectures);

Lectures (and Topical Lectures);

Lectures (and Topical Lectures);

LSB Article II (Pages 169-325);

LSB Article I (Pages 1-167);

Barrons: Six Chapters

(chapters 4-9), and these
pages Chapter 24s pages
573-90(protection against
discrimination), Chapter 28s
page 638(culture) & Chapter
28s page 642 (para. on CISG);

LSB Article III (Pages 327497);

Barrons: Six Chapters

(chapter 2, chapters 14-17 &
chapter 26), and these pages chapter 1s pages 3-13) (start
through codes of ethics),
Chapter 1s pages 17-24
(uniform laws to end),
Chapter 3s page 72(juries),
Chapter 3s pages 8386(Inquis. Approach through
case citation) & Chapter 28s
page 637(common law, Civil
Law);

Supp. Info. Text 2 (9 items)

Topics
Contracts;
Employmt Discrimination Law

Supp. Info. Text 1 (7 items)

Topics

Barrons: One Chapter

(chapter 19), and these pagesChapter 1s pages 1317(attorneys), Chapter 3s
pages 49-53(court structure),
Chapter 3s page 59-82(taking
a case to court; out-of-court
procedures), Chapter 3s
pages 86-90(Q&A), Chapter
18s pages 43334(accountants/lawyers),
Chapter 18s pages 54142(Robinson-Patman Act) &
Chapter 28s page 644 (Intl
Dispute Resolution);
Supp. Info. Text 3 (4 items)

Law and Legal Systems;

Intellectual Property;
Agency;
Establishing a Business;
Corporations (incl. Free Speech)

Topics
Lawyers;
Judges;
Litigation;
Alternative Dispute Resol.;
Torts and Crimes

There are no specific reading assignments per class. You should read ahead in the LSB and
the Supplemental Information text before attending or watching lectures, if possible. For estimates of
how far ahead to read before class, see PREPARING BEFORE CLASS," below.
The Barrons book is more for background; while the lectures track the LSB and Supplemental
Information text, they do not generally do so for specific Barrons pages. To assist your readings, the
LSB frequently cross-references pages from the Barrons book. The idea is that reading those Barrons
book pages should give you more information about those concepts discussed in the LSB.
For more information on the class days, review sessions and topical lectures, see pages 1-3,
above.
PREPARING BEFORE CLASS

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Fall 2016 BUL4310 Syllabus- Robert Emerson

Class lectures proceed through the Law, Society and Business (LSB) text and the web-posted
Supplemental Information sets (one for each of the three sections of the course). PowerPoint textual
material, as shown in class, tends to come directly from the LSB and is available on the course website.
Before coming to (watching) the class, you should read ahead about 15 pages, per class period, in
the LSB (30 pages per a class day of two periods). You will also find it helpful to read the notes from
the prior class as well as read the Barrons text pages that correspond to where we are in the LSB text.
In addition to the Readings, you should review the Barrons end-of-chapter questions and several
hundred old exam questions, with answers, from previous semesters. These practice questions come
in two different forms in the Resources section of the course website: (1) Questions from Exams in
Prior Semesters (a pdf document of just the questions), and (2) Questions and Answers from BUL4310
Exams in Prior Semesters (a pdf document of both the questions and answers). The number of
questions in the documents are approximately 391 for the Test One document, 261 for the Test Two
document, and 200 for the Final Exam document. So, you obviously start practicing with and learning
from those questions well in advance of each test.1
To better understand lectures and take notes, you should review, for each LSB Article,2 the
corresponding Supplemental Information text. There are just 7, 9 and 4 items as well as boxed
material on which you will not be tested per Supplemental Information Text; and the corresponding
LSB pages are indicated for each item. As the lectures take place, we proceed in order through these
Supplemental Information items, just as we tend to follow the LSB in order.
Check your note-taking and highlighting. Early in the semester, watch a lecture a second time.
(Okay, feel free to put it at a higher speed!) On this second go-round, just concentrate on looking at
your notes, as you have placed them in the LSB or elsewhere. In other words, this time listen to the
lecture but look at what you wrote and highlighted. If there is a substantial amount of information the
lectures impart but which you cannot account for in specific LSB or Supplemental Information items you
have highlighted and/or in your own notes, then you need to be taking more thorough notes and
otherwise organizing your understanding of the subject.
COME TO THE LIVE CLASS IF YOU CAN. WHY? 10 x 2 +1 (THATS TWENTY-ONE!) REASONS:
1. Its fun.
2. Its educational (sure, its also taped, but with the live class comes special possibilities meeting
classmates, talking with a live professor, seeing where all those props & hats come from, etc.)
Plenty of people do well in this class without ever coming to the live sessions (or even to
Gainesville), but statistics show, for any number of possible reasons, the students who come to
the live class tend to have higher grades on tests than the class average.
3. Almost immediately, your particular questions can be asked and answered, your concerns
raised and resolved. You have the chance to inquire in the here and now as the class
happens or even before the class occurs - specific questions or more general
explanations/elaborations about concepts mentioned in a lecture or in the readings; I then make
it a point to integrate my answers/explanations into the lecture. Live class >> Instant answers!
4. You get the chance to perform in skits, dances, modeling, game shows, and other awesome
opportunities to shine. And some of these students have gone to Hollywood, others to Wall
Street, others to success throughout the world! Now thats impressive. Im not saying there is a
causal link to performing in BUL 4310, but then again, who knows?!
5. Friends and family will be impressed by what you did, and learned, in class. Your kin folk will be
proud of you; your chums will wish they were you!

1 Each of these practice documents presents the questions according to the broad subject categories for a particular test (as opposed to the
tests themselves, where the question order is randomized). So, you need not wait until you have studied all the material for an exam before
starting to test your knowledge with the practice exams. For example, in studying for the first exam, you could start on the practice exam
document just after you have completed your study of the introductory materials (the topics covered before we get to intellectual property).
2 Article I covers Test One material, Article II covers Test Two material, and Article III covers Test Three material.

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Fall 2016 BUL4310 Syllabus- Robert Emerson

6. Before or after class or during breaks, you have the opportunity to discuss with me and often
in the know undergrad assistants or other students the law school, graduate school, or job
application process.
7. It is a small plus for people who later apply to be undergrad assistants. I know you understand
not just the class generally, but what the live class is like.
8. If you dont want to participate in 4, above, all you have to do is say so. Students can decline
for that day, or decline for the whole semester. Your choice. So, if you are shy, dont worry
BUL 4310 is a nonthreatening, user-friendly environment. (Youll probably decide you actually
want to volunteer sometimes(!); but again- you never have to show your face, if youd rather
not.)
9. You never lose anything you might get from watching a recorded lecture. Any day or time after
the live class you can always also watch that class on tape, if you want retaining all the
advantages associated with a second viewing of class (pausing the lecture, honing in on a
topic or a slide). And almost all the lecture slides text comes straight from the LSB, so you
really dont need to copy everything in the slides.
10. I get to know you. No, you dont get extra credit points unavailable to others just for coming to
the live class. (However, if you come quite regularly to class throughout the semester in
effect, acting for the non-attendees as a surrogate (e.g., with questions for, and feedback
to, me, then you may use that as a substitute for the attending a trial extra credit.)
11. In a big university, it never hurts to rise above the anonymity and have your instructor and
others (e.g., TAs) recognize your name and your face, and likely know a lot more about what
makes you the interesting, amazing person you no doubt are!
12. Per 10, above, when I know a student, it is easier for me to be all set to help with law school,
grad school, or other recommendation letters.
13. An active, engaged audience makes the class a better class.
14. Come on now: this isnt an early-morning class. You must be up and about by mid-afternoon!
15. Is there really anything better to do on a Tuesday or Thursday afternoon? Certainly not!
16. It is a known fact that all of the students at the live class are incredibly good looking.
17. Attending class is cool.
18. Heavener Hall is a happening place.
19. Prizes may be awarded, such as the highly esteemed Volunteer of the Month awards and, at
semesters end, the Grand Poobah of all the Most Valuable Course Volunteer!.
20. People often come by my office after class. If you are in class, you can be first in line, and start
the conversation on the way back to my office from the class.
21. Id love to see you at the live class.
Studying for Exams
Here are some ideas for exam success:
Watch the review session and look on the course website at the Breakdown of Test Questions.
Read the substantive discussions on the discussion board.
Listen to some classes a second time to see how thorough your notes were. For example, the stories
and examples I give are as important as the simple lecturing to you of legal information. After all, the former are
intended to put the latter into better context.
Put the information you study into "stories" or hypotheticals that give it more meaning (make it more vivid)
for you.
Read the Supplemental Information text.
Carefully read the texts and then review the texts and your notes several times
Look at the Questions and Answers from Prior Exams posted in this websites Resources.
Here are study habits as stated by five former students who received high grades on BUL4310 exams:
First Student:
Read ahead before going to class! If youre in Gainesville, physically go to class.
Watch the lectures again before the exam.

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Fall 2016 BUL4310 Syllabus- Robert Emerson

Read the book, have notes within the book and have tabs on important topics.
The material will eventually stick if you read ahead, go to class, highlight and tab the books, go over old exam
problems and (re-) watch the lectures. So here is the mnemonic (and Prof. Emerson likes mnemonics!): RGTPW
- Read, Go, Tab, Practice, Watch!!!
Second Student:
First, attend all class lectures, while also reading ALL of the Barron's text pages carefully. Reading it daily, slowly
and carefully will help with retention. Jot down some concepts that you have trouble retaining on a loose sheet of
paper - your study sheet - so you can read over it before exam day. DO ALL Questions at the end of the Barrons
chapters. Some are strikingly similar to exam questions, and it also lets you gauge your comprehension.
Then carefully read ALL of the LSB. You just cannot get around reading in this class.
At this point, the exam is about several days away, so complete ALL practice problems, and check ALL answers
(see in the text WHY answers are right or wrong).
Third Student:
Most beneficial to me is to read the LSB right before I watch the lecture. That reinforces what I've just read, and
also helps to clarify anything that I might not have completely grasped the first time. When I read the chapters, I
study them thoroughly, highlighting and making notes in the book along the way. I usually read the Barron's after
Ive done all my other preparation because it seems like a shorter, simplified form and it is thus a refresher for me.
Fourth Student:
Reading through the table of contents in the LSB and Barron's books is a good way to remind yourself of the
topics you've learned. It also gives you a general idea of where to look for answers during tests/the order of the
topics. If you're more of a visual learner, use lots of different color highlighters! Making your notes more
aesthetically appealing makes them a lot easier to study from. Being able to understand general ideas and how to
apply them to test questions is key; you can always look up information that may be hard to memorize (like lists),
but knowing the main idea for topics will make hypothetical questions a lot easier to figure out on the tests. Get
"the big picture!"
A Fifth Students Remarks: Turning it around after a poor test performance
The first test I read the LSB once, read the Barron's book once but skipped a lot, and watched all the
lectures at 2x and didnt take notes, didnt print out the supplementary information or practice questions, and my
grade was a 70. But the second test I read the LSB two times before watching the lectures. I read the Barron's
book once before watching any lectures, too. Then after I watched the lectures (including Topical Talks) at normal
speed I read the LSB again - but this time highlighting almost everything - and I did the same thing with the
Barron's book. I also wrote down all LSB topics in the order they are shown. I then reconciled those topics with
the Barron's book by writing in a different color the comparable Barron's book pages. Then I put all the
supplementary information numbers onto this sheet and used another color. It didnt take as long as it sounds,
and on the exam it made finding things and switching sources a breeze. On the morning of the test, I re-read the
LSB pages from start to finish, and then tried to read the Barron's but didnt get through it all. I ended up scoring a
104 on the second test and now have a pretty good chance at getting an A.
To repeat, I read the LSB four times and the Barron's book three times. I put in enough time. There is
really a difference; I knew so many answers without looking them up. On the T/F I only looked up 3 questions and
only got 1 T/F wrong. I can't say the same for the first test.

A TERM PAPER OPTION

A term paper score can substitute for your lowest exam score. (Note: No matter how good your score is, it
only replaces the lowest test score and is worth 20% of your grade (nothing more than 20%). Choosing to do a
term paper is entirely optional; indeed, most students do not choose to write a paper.
The Term Paper
To be eligible, a student must first submit an outline by Mon., Sept. 12. That outline must be approximately 150 to
250 words long, with an indication of at least three sources (e.g., Internet sites, books, court cases, newspaper
stories) you have found and may use. The outline is not graded, but we usually acknowledge its receipt and often
also write to the submitting student with advice on how to approach his/her paper and/or with a request that
he/she revise his/her outline.
Also, the permission to write a term paper that arises from timely submission of an outline only extends to a paper
that at least resembles the outline. You can certainly change the emphasis of a paper, as long as it relates to the

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Fall 2016 BUL4310 Syllabus- Robert Emerson

outlines scope. However, if you decide to change the topic dramatically (e.g., to an entirely different topic), you
must email to me explaining what you wish to do and seek permission by sending a new outline. Such an action
will NOT extend the deadline for turning in a term paper. And such a request (an email) must be emailed to me
NO LATER than six days before the paper is due. If in doubt about these matters, email me.
One approach (BUT NOT THE ONLY APPROACH) to writing a paper is have your paper arise from, relate to,
delve deeper into, or otherwise concern a real case or actual example discussed in the LSB text, in the Barrons
book, or in one or more of the class-related YouTube videos. Generally, it would be much better to choose a case
or example that was not discussed at great length (e.g., for more than one or two paragraphs), because that gives
more opportunity for you to do your own research and develop your own insights. This is not the only approach.
Generally, any law topic that is business related (very broadly defined) is acceptable. Do not write about abortion,
a constitutional law case from earlier than 2010, a criminal law matter not related to business, or a paper that is
much more about something other than law than it is about law.
The completed paper should be from 2,200 to 2,800 words, not counting the citations. The paper, assuming that
you have completed an outline on time (on or before Mon., Sept. 12), is due Wed., Oct. 26.
NOTE: You do NOT start out with a perfect score on a paper that you submit (100 points), and therefore we have
to explain why you did not get a 100. You must earn the points typical scores range from about 80 to the mid
90s, but there are lower scores and even higher scores. At least two persons will grade your paper.3
The rubric used includes these assessments of your work, which are stated here just as a reminder of things to
consider (not overlook) while writing your paper, not as a guarantee of any particular point total. 4
A Well stated thesis/topic understandable? What is the author (the student) trying to do? 5 pts.
Analysis of Topic - 40 pts.
Clarity of Paper - 10 pts.
Strong Conclusion? (Has the author attempted to prove anything? IF so, given the brevity of the paper,
has he/she been successful) - 10 pts.
Writing, Spelling, Punctuation - 20 pts.
Sources Quality and Number (the author should cite at least nine different sources, unless these is an
understandable reason the sources should be of different types, and most should be recent in origin whenever
practical and appropriate for the paper) - 15 pts.
Again, the most important things is to write a very good paper that is your work. But the above standards
may give you some idea of what you should do.
Turning It In and Monitoring the Grading
The outline and the paper must be submitted electronically via the Internet. Submission instructions are on the
website in the Assessments folder. The outline and the paper will NOT be accepted through email, via fax, or by
printed copy. Please do not wait until the last minute to try to submit an outline or paper. (As a last resort, you
may send the outline or paper as an attachment to my e-mail address - bul4310.prof@warrington.ufl.edu - but that
would only be to show you had completed the work as of that time. You still must follow up with an Internet
submission.) Please keep a copy of the paper, and retain the confirmation notice generated after you submit the
paper. We generally grade the papers within about three to four weeks, with grades and commentary ultimately
placed in the Assessment folder where you also access your exam grades. Please monitor announcements
both on the website and in class - as any concerns about your outline or paper should be promptly sent to the TAs
or me.
If you turn in an outline but do not write a paper, you receive no credit for your efforts. You are not penalized for
having failed to turn in a paper, but you also get nothing for whatever work you put into the outline or the draft of
your paper.
The Grading of the Paper
As stated above, the outline is not graded. Only the term paper is graded.

3 Just because Canvas may display the grade from one grader does not mean another person or persons also graded the paper and
contributed to the ultimate grade and any comments. Canvas limits how things may be posted.
4 For example, if you fail to meet the minimal word count for the paper, you likely will have a lower score on your paper.

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My expectation is that most persons undertaking this assignment will do a good or very good job, and I will give
out most grades in the low-B to mid-A range. The emphasis in grading will be on the research and the substance
of the paper. However, poor grammar, bad spelling, incoherent sentences, and other problems of style will lead
to a lower grade. Also, while writing more than 2,800 words will NOT lead to a penalty (you wont be rewarded
either!), writing less than 2,200 words likely will be penalized. Furthermore, reliance on only a few sources
(inadequate citation of sources) will lead to a lower score. Ordinarily, a paper should have at least nine different
sources. (In rare instances, that may be unfeasible; ask ahead of time if you are concerned.)
If your grade on the paper is higher than your lowest test score, then the paper acts as a complete substitute for
that score. If your term paper score is lower than your lowest test score, then the test score is used, unless you
plagiarized part or all of your paper or turned in a paper that has significant similarity to another paper or
assignment you have undertaken in another class. On this latter point (i.e., whether your work is too much like
what you have previously done), please email to me the previous paper and explain what you wish to do before
you write a paper for this course.
IT IS NO DEFENSE TO PLAGIARISM THAT YOU ACCIDENTALLY TURNED IN A DRAFT OR SOME OTHER
WORK RATHER THAN THE WORK YOU INTENDED TO SUBMIT. PLEASE CHECK AND DOUBLE-CHECK
YOUR SUBMISSION BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER YOU HAVE SUBMITTED IT. Also, if you took ideas or
information from a source, it is always better to err on the side of citing that source repeatedly even multiple
times throughout your paper than just to cite it a few times and make it appear for other parts of the paper (other
sentences) that the work is yours when in fact the idea or information is something you got from that source. Also,
note that even footnoting a source is insufficient when you are not simply paraphrasing the

sources contents but taking your wording came directly from that article: then you should
cite the source AND also put the language in quotation marks.
WARNING: You Must Act Quickly, or You Cannot Write a Paper for Credit
You must decide early in the semester whether you want to write a paper, and on what topic.
You cannot wait to see how you are doing on exams before deciding whether to turn in an outline. There will be no extension
of the Mon., Sept. 12nd date for turning in an outline and reserving a spot.
Further Information:
An outline for the term paper is turned in via the Assignments of the course website.
We will review outlines and get back to you. If there is a problem, you will have time to resubmit a revised outline. The most
common problems are that the topic is too broad or that there are insufficient sources.
In the papers themselves, a common failing, among other things, is the absence of sources for various statements which are
not yours (that you got from somewhere but have not cited). Put in footnotes one or more sources for every statement that
you make which should require documentation (that is not simply your own thought).
It is okay for an outline to be bullet pointed and not set up like a rough draft (as in the examples on Canvas). But the bullet
points need to say something, not just be headings. Therefore, the better approach is usually just to submit a paragraph or two
(as much as a page) stating what you intend to do and including some sources.
Law sources for your paper can be found from many avenues FindLaw, Justia, Cornell Law School digital library, LexisNexis (this one is available in the digital databases for the UF Libraries) and many others. The term paper gives you much
flexibility to write on almost anything related to business law.
UF's Teaching Center has a writing studio that provides assistance. The URL is http://writing.ufl.edu/writing-studio/. Or see
http://writing.ufl.edu/writing-studio/for-students/schedule-an-appointment/ There are walk-in meetings, appointments, phone
call facility and online resources. It is on the 3rd floor of Library West.
Also, the College's Career and Academic Peer (CAP) Mentor program
(http://warrington.ufl.edu/undergraduate/myheavener/career/cap/ ) sometimes helps students with written work, especially
related to professional writing, such as personal statements and cover letters.

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EXTRA CREDIT
There are two, and only two, possibilities of extra credit: (1) a report on a trial or hearing, and (2) a short
reaction paper to a law review article. Due dates must be strictly adhered to in order to receive any credit. You
can do either one or both (and get credit for both e.g., 1 point + 1 point).

#1 TRIAL/HEARING REPORT (750 to 900 words in length)

Attend a trial, or at least an important part thereof, for about 60 to 90 minutes. I prefer that you
view a civil case, but criminal, traffic, small claims, moot court, or even administrative proceedings are fine. It is,
ultimately, your choice (and also a question of what is "playing" when you trek down to the courthouse).
Many students state that this assignment is very interesting and gives firsthand information on the
law and legal system in a way that books and lectures cannot.
*** PLEASE STATE, ON THE TOP FRONT PAGE OF THE COMPLETED WORK ASSIGNMENT, THE DATE,
TIME PERIOD, AND LOCATION OF YOUR COURTROOM OBSERVATION, AND IF POSSIBLE - THE
NAMES OF THE PARTIES, THE LAWYERS, THE JUDGE, AND THE COURTROOM NUMBER/LETTER/NAME.
Very important to me is your assessment of the proceeding and the general conclusions about law, the
legal system, and the legal players that may be drawn from the particulars witnessed. Think about what you saw.
Be willing to philosophize, if that seems appropriate. Also, if the experience left you with questions, note them.
Some Points to Consider in Your Report
a. What did you see? For a big case, in which you saw only part of the overall case, describe the part you saw
(e.g., voir dire, a motion hearing, opening statements) and how it fit into the larger picture of the case.
b. The legal and factual problems in the case or cases.
c. The legal subjects (e.g., contracts, torts) relevant to the case(s).
d. For a case with a jury, the ramifications thereof (e.g., judge's instructions, attorneys' terms of persuasion).
e. How would you have handled the case as a juror, lawyer, or judge?
f. WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
IT IS NOT AN EXCUSE TO TURN YOUR PAPER IN LATE BECAUSE, WHEN YOU WENT TO THE
COURTHOUSE, JUST A DAY OR TWO BEFORE THE WORK WAS DUE, NOTHING WAS PLAYING AT THE
COURTHOUSE. COMPLETE THE ASSIGNMENT EARLY!
YOU ARE FREE TO WATCH ANY TYPE OF PROCEEDING state, federal, administrative, or otherwise. YOU
ARE NOT LIMITED TO GAINESVILLE or even a live trial. To Complete this Course Work, YOU CAN
ATTEND, FROM January 1, 2016 ON, ANY PROCEEDING ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. (The only limit is that
online cases should be from the last couple years, should be on a civil (noncriminal) matter, and should NOT
concern something you wrote about for a term paper.) Also, while I think a live proceeding gives you insights
that a televised/online proceeding cannot, you can turn in a report on a recorded proceeding, instead. Especially
for students in Gainesville (where there is usually little playing at the courthouse), the online/televised
proceeding may be the better option. If you do write about a televised or web proceeding, you MUST give
sufficient information that a reader could view it, too.
Schedules and other information for all courts now tend to be online. Whether online, in person or on the
telephone, never seek to communicate directly with a judge. A secretary or clerk may provide you with
information about trials, motions, or other proceedings scheduled for that day or in the very near future. As long
as the proceeding is open to the public (and most are), you may discreetly enter the courtroom to view the
proceedings. If it interests you, great. If not, quietly leave and look elsewhere. DO NOT LEAVE A
COURTROOM WHILE THE JUDGE IS SPEAKING. ALSO, DRESS APPROPRIATELY. No short shorts (in
fact, pants are better); no halter-tops; wear shoes, not sandals. Dress and act in a respectful manner.
You cannot go wrong by dressing as if you were going to a job interview.

#2 REACTION PAPER ON A LAW REVIEW ARTICLE (750 to 900 words in length)

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Write a brief paper reacting to a law journal article. Almost any law journal article associated with a university
publisher will be acceptable. Any of my articles at http://ssrn.com/author=86449 are certainly acceptable as
something to which you react.
The very beginning of the paper should have (1) your name, (2) your UFID, (3) the title Reaction Paper to
______ (the articles title) by (the articles author), (4) the journal name e.g., American Business Law Journal,
and if possible an URL, i.e., web address, for the article), and (5) the length, in pages or word totals, of the
article to which you are reacting.
In the body of your paper, you should briefly describe the article and then offer your questions or comments;
feel free to bring in concepts or ideas you have learned from the class lectures, the Law, Society, and Business
text, the Barrons textbook, or other courses or life itself! Normally, the article should be at least 5 or 6 pages
long, but could be as long as 100 or more pages. You need not read the entire article and react to it, but you
should either deal with the entirety of it all or at least some part to which you can intelligibly react.
You are free to quote from the article, but do NOT make your paper a cut-and-paste job, or anything where
more than, say, a quarter of your paper consists of quoting or paraphrasing the article. I want your reaction.
You could write about points you learned from the article, questions that an article raised in your mind,
comparisons to matters you have learned elsewhere (in this class, in another course, from life), other things
the article reminds you of or that could be in some way analogized to or related to points/sources in the article.
GRADING OF BOTH EXTRA CREDIT PROJECTS (the Trial Report and the Reaction Paper)
Due to the size of the class, ordinarily no individual comments can be returned to the student. Your papers will
be read and graded by at least two persons. Most papers will receive a grade of 1 point (to be added onto
your point total, on a 100-point final grade scale). For exceptional papers no more than 5% to 10% of the
papers submitted a grade of up to 1.25 points will be awarded.
For papers that do not meet the word totals or otherwise follow instructions, but otherwise were okay, just 0.6
points may be earned. Poor papers may be awarded just 0.3 points. Completely inadequate papers will
receive no credit.
As is the case for the term papers, plagiarism or other academic dishonesty will result in not just no credit, but
penalties. Turnitin.com and other plagiarism detectors may be used on all work that is submitted.
Due to the class size, we will not generally make fine distinctions between extra credit papers (and thereby
award point totals all along a 0 to 1.25 point continuum). That simply is not feasible for work of this nature,
which is mainly a learn by doing type of project. For the term paper, I do endeavor to give you comments a
breakdown of the point total, with problems or compliments as to your work. That is not what takes place for
the grading of Extra Credit, which should involve much less work on your part (and on the graders part!).
If you are displeased with an Extra Credit or Term Paper score, you may write to me, of course. You must
complain within seven days after your grade has been posted in order for me to consider your request for a
regrading. The usual process then will be that one of the law student TAs or I (someone other than the original
graders) will review your work and the complaint. If we believe your paper genuinely deserved a higher grade,
we will give it. However, if we do not find merit with your complaint (i.e., we conclude that the paper did not
merit a higher score), we reserve the right to reduce your score. Normally, we would not do that, but if we
conclude that we were generous, compared to most other papers, in terms of the grade we gave your work,
then you likely will have a corresponding reduction in your score (not as a penalty for complaining, but to
reflect the correct grade).

SOME WRITING TIPS

Common Grammatical Problems

Run-on sentence(s).

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Fall 2016 BUL4310 Syllabus- Robert Emerson

Pronouns and possessives that do not clearly refer back to a noun. For example:

Correct: Wachovia Corporation announced its second quarter revenue projections. It reported profit increases
of 16%.
Incorrect: The Wachovia Corporation announced their second quarter revenue projections. They reported
profit increases of 16%.

Subjects and verbs should both be either singular or plural. If the subject includes and, the verb will
be plural.

Commas and periods come within the ending quotation marks, while semi-colons are outside.

Correct: Justice Holmes said, The life of the law has been experience, not logic the felt necessities of the
times. When Holmes said, Three generations of idiots is enough, he reflected the prevalent views of some
Progressives who dabbled in eugenics.
Incorrect: Lincoln began his greatest speech with the now immortal words, [F]our score and seven years
ago.

Avoid comma splices; two independent clauses should be separated by a period or a semicolon.

Correct: The University of Florida is an excellent institution of higher learning. It is world-renowned.

Incorrect: The University of Florida is an excellent institution of higher learning, it is world-renowned.
Correct: The University of Florida is an excellent, world-class institution of higher learning.

Its = the possessive of it. (Example: The company has its shareholders best interests at heart.)

Its = the contraction of it is. (Example: Its really hot and humid in Gainesville from May to
September. Hooray for Summer C!). For example, Reasons is not plural, but possessive (and
quite likely the wrong spelling). If you leave out the apostrophe, the word just means plural (in this
case, more than one reason).

. is correct;

. Is incorrect

, is correct

, is incorrect

For footnote marks:

,7 is correct

Amount means an indefinite quantity, such as large or small. But when referring to something where
there are units e.g., ounces, persons, houses,cars, etc. then say number.

.5 is correct

. Is incorrect

Common Style Matters

Use a topic paragraph to introduce the paper and topic and supporting sentences within each
paragraph. (However, do not obsessively follow this approach if it interrupts the flow of the paper.
There should be transition from paragraph to paragraph, but with transitional and introductory
phrasing used sparingly once the papers focus and any matters of sequencing are stated at the
outset of the paper.)

Avoid overuse of the passive voice. For example:

Active: Emerson gave everyone in the Legal Environment of Business an A.

5 I.e., a footnote marker should be after the punctuation (e.g., after a comma or a period), not before the
punctuation.
6 Footnote marker before the punctuation is wrong.
7 Footnote mark comes after punctuation and the quotation mark, in that order.
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Fall 2016 BUL4310 Syllabus- Robert Emerson

Passive: Everyone in the Legal Environment of Business was given an A.

Aside from the tortured sentence construction, the passive voice often makes it unclear who did what to
whom. If we clear up that problem (Everyone in the Legal Environment of Business was given an A by
Emerson), we make the sentence construction even more tortured.

Avoid contractions (e.g., dont, cant, isnt) in formal writing.

Avoid the second person (i.e., "you") in formal writing.

Avoid beginning a sentence with a conjunction (e.g., and) or ending a sentence with a preposition
(e.g., to, for, with).

Work on clarity of expression. Simple and direct is usually better.

Avoid redundant material, particularly on a paper as brief as this one.

Avoid problems with homonyms (e.g., there instead of their).

Try to finish a close-to-complete draft of the paper early enough that you can put the paper aside for a
while and then be able to look at it with a fresh perspective before reviewing it, perhaps making
revisions, and then turning it in.

Proof-read, proof-read, proof-read.

If you finish a draft early enough, you can put it down for a few days and, when you look at it again days later,
have fresh eyes to see potential improvements. You may be able to get help from UF's Teaching Center
(http://writing.ufl.edu/writing-studio/) or the College's Career and Academic Peer (CAP) Mentor program
(http://warrington.ufl.edu/undergraduate/myheavener/career/cap/), as described on page 10 of this syllabus.
Citations for any paper your team or you submit
Please include citations whenever appropriate. If in doubt, cite!
I prefer footnotes over other formats.
I dont care which style of citation you use, as long as you are consistent and give sufficient information
for finding the source. For a book, this would be the author, title, date of publication, and page number of the
book; for any article, the author, title, periodical, date, page number, and website location. For an article, it would
include the author of the article, the title of the article, the name of the journal in which the information appeared,
the volume and page number where the information is found, and the date of publication. For a website, it must
include the name of the person or organization that takes responsibility for the information, the title or subject of
the information, the precise URL page on which that specific piece of information is found, and the date on which
it is accessed.

GRADES
Your best exam score is worth 45% of your final grade (on a 100 point scale), the middle exam score is
worth 35% of your final grade, and your worst score is worth just 20% of your final grade.
Extra credit, if any, is simply added to the total derived from your exams, assuming that you take all
three exams. If you only take two exams, your term paper score (if you wrote a term paper!), minus
ten points for the paper, can replace the lowest score of a 0 for that third exam.
To ensure that you receive any extra credit, as well as to receive full credit for a term paper as a
replacement for your lowest exam score, you need to take all three exams and - on the last exam you
take (typically, the final exam) you need to achieve a threshold score.
The Final Exam and Points Earned from Extra Credit as well as the Term Paper

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Fall 2016 BUL4310 Syllabus- Robert Emerson

1.
You do not have to take all three exams. However, if you decide to not take one of your exams,
please do write to the TA (bul4310.ta@gmail.com) as soon as you have decided to do that simply to tell
us that is what you are doing, and please indicate that in the subject heading of the email as well (e.g.,
I am not taking the final exam). Nothing else is required. We will enter in Canvas a grade for your test
of 0.314 (a small piece (1/10) of Pi !) - Less than a third of one point, which will likely read to you as
simply 0.31. That shows we got your message.
2.
Failure to take all three exams does mean that you get no extra credit points and that your term
paper score, as a substitute for the 0 on the missing exam, is reduced by ten points (a term paper
score of 95 becomes an 85).
3.
To ensure that you get full credit for your extra credit points and/or your term paper score, you
do need to do more than simply not study and then take the third test by simply putting any answers
you want (i.e., just bubbling in all answers as A). Here are the thresholds you must meet. They are
not high, but they are better than simply random guesses.
a. Extra Credit
If you do not get a 20 or higher on the last of the three exams you take (ordinarily, the final
exam), then you do NOT earn any Extra Credit. If you get 30 or better on this last exam, then you are
assured of the full Extra Credit points you earned. From 20 to 30 points, the Extra Credit garnered will
be reduced according to this formula:
Determine the Extra Credit Point Total (ECPT) that you have this total should be up
to 2.4 points (your score on the extra credit article reaction paper and/or the trial report).
Subtract 20 points from your last exam score to give you an Adjusted Amount.
Multiply that Adjusted Amount by 0.25 to give you a Result.
If the Result is less than your ECPT, then the Result replaces your ECPT.
b. Term Papers
Below only applies if your term paper score is higher than your lowest score from the three
exams (and thus, ordinarily, we would be using that score to replace the lowest exam score for 20% of
your grade).
If you do not get a 30 or higher on the last of the three exams you take (ordinarily, the final
exam), then you have ten points reduced from your Term Paper score. This is, for example, what
ordinarily would happen if you took the first two exams and then did not take the final exam.
If you get 50 or better on this last exam, then you have full credit for your Term Paper score.
If you get between 30 and 50 points on this last exam, the Term Paper score is reduced
according to this formula:
Subtract your last exam score from 50 points.
Multiply that amount (50 minus last exam score) by 0.5.
Subtract that result (of the multiplication) from your Term Paper score.
Other than for matters related to academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism), any subtracting from
your term paper score that brings it below your third best test score means that we now use the lowest
test score as your third grade (for 20% of the total), per the grading information in this syllabus.
Otherwise (i.e., if the adjusted term paper score is still higher than your lowest of the three exam
scores), the adjusted term paper score is treated as if it were your actual term paper score and serves
to replace it, per the syllabus.

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Fall 2016 BUL4310 Syllabus- Robert Emerson

NOTE WELL: These rules are designed to encourage people to take all three exams. Therefore, rest
assured that these rules are not invoked vis--vis the first two exams you take. IF you, unfortunately,
earned fewer than these point thresholds on one or even both of the first two exams you took, you still
can get full point totals for your extra credit and/or term paper, per the rules above for your last exam.
Indeed, only in extreme cases (final exam scores under 50 points) may a student lose any credit; that is
a very rare occurrence,

The final grading scale, based on a 100-point scale, is as follows:

A
AB+
B

93.5 & above

90.0 to 93.49
86.5 to 89.99
83.0 to 86.49

BC+
C
C-

79.5 to 82.99
76.0 to 79.49
72.5 to 75.99
69.0 to 72.49

Page 15 of 17

D+
D
DE

65.5 to 68.99
62.0 to 65.49
58.0 to 61.99
57.99 & below

Fall 2016 BUL4310 Syllabus- Robert Emerson

Some Discussion of Calculating and Strategizing on the Final Grade, Using an Example
To make the system easier to follow, with fewer decimals and fractions, I make the final-grade point
system a 100 point system.
Here is an example of how a final grade would be derived: Student X gets a 90, an 80, and a
70 on his exams. His total points would be 90 times 0.45 (40.5 points), plus 80 times 0.35 (28 points),
plus 65 times 0.20 (13 points). His point total would be 81.5, for a B-. If he had extra credit of, say, 2
points, that would bring his point total to 83.5 and he would have a final grade of B.
In this case, completing a term paper might have led to a higher final grade, assuming that Xs
paper earned a higher score than his lowest exam score. For example, if he had an 88 on a term
paper, the 88 points would replace the 65 point total with respect to the 20% amount, and so he would
have 90 times 0.45 (40.5 points), plus 80 times 0.35 (28 points), plus 88 times 0.20 (17.6 points) a
point total of 86.1 points, not counting any Extra Credit.
.

** A NOTE ON THE GRADES, ESPECIALLY THE EXAM GRADES **

On exams, your grade is presented in points, not as a percentage. Most tests I give have more than 100
points possible, and often I raise all students scores an additional, set number of points. Again, do NOT
consider the percentages. If, for example, you received a 73 points out of 105 possible points on Test One, and
I added 5 points to everyones score, your point total for the exam would be 78. And that score would be posted
as a 78.
Do NOT convert the test scores into percentages. And ignore any percentages automatically
generated by the website for a particular test score. For each test or the term paper, it simply does not matter
how many total points were possible, but what ultimate point total the student received. The only time you might
argue that percentages matter is at the very end of the semester, when your three scores (lets call them P, Q,
and R) are multiplied by the aforesaid percentages (45% = 0.45; 35% = 0.35; 20% = 0.20). The grand point
total from adding these three products (0.45P + 0.35Q + 0.2R is put within a 100-point scale, as described
below. Otherwise, to say it a fourth time(!), stay away from percentages.
Please remember:
1. ANY POSTED SCORE WILL ALREADY HAVE ANY ADDED POINTS (ANY CURVE) OR OTHER
POINTS ABOVE THE 100 TOTAL INCLUDED IN THE POSTED SCORE. SO, DO NOT ADD MORE POINTS
TO YOUR POSTED SCORE.
2. Do not treat an exam score as a percentage. Consider the example above of the posted score of 78.
For this class purposes, the score is simply a 78, not a 78 times 100/110 (to give you a percentage).
3. When tabulating final grades, we still go by points. If the hypothetical score of 78 is your highest score
(your highest point total) for the three exams, then you will multiply 78 times 0.45; if it is the second highest point
total on your exams, then it will be 78 times 0.35; if it is the worst of the three test grades (point totals), then you
will multiply 78 times 0.20 (unless you are substituting with a higher term paper score, which instead would be
multiplied by 0.20).
4. If you write a term paper, the score simply can replace your lowest test score, and it can only earn
20% on the grading system even if it is a score higher than two or all three of your exam scores.
5. The Extra Credit points are on the 100-point scale and are just added at the end of the term,
assuming you have taken all three exams (and there is no credit without your taking all three exams).
6. As soon as possible, we post exam scores and term paper and extra credit scores. You should be
diligent in ascertaining the score you received. And then, if you have any concerns or questions (e.g., about
a mistake in the reported score), you should immediately address them to me (Prof. Emerson).
7. I have too many students and other responsibilities to handle untimely requests for regrading.
Ordinarily, no request for regrading (of anything tests, or papers) made more than seven (7) days after a grade
was made available to the student will be honored. Most requests do not lead to a change in grade e.g.,
almost always the problem on a test is simply that you picked the wrong answer, not something such as a glitch
in grading. In all cases of regrading, it is unlikely, but possible, that instead of raising your grade I may actually
lower it (e.g., I determine that the fair grade for your exam actually was a lower grade).

ASSURANCE OF LEARNING
Each program at the Warrington College of Business Administration has developed goals and
objectives that express valued skills and knowledge that students should be able to demonstrate upon
completing that program. The following goals and objectives are specifically mapped to BUL4310.

The Undergraduate program goals and objectives that apply to this course are:
Goal 1: Demonstrate competency in and across business disciplines.
1A. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of elements of economics, finance,
accounting, marketing, operations management, organizational behavior, business law, information
technology, and business statistics.
Goal 2: Appreciate the ethical and legal aspects of business.
A. Define and explain legal, ethical, and social responsibilities of organizations.
B. Identify relevant ethical and social issues, particularly those that may not be obvious
in complex business decisions.
General Course Goals
Your hard work in this course will make you knowledgeable about some essential legal
concepts, such as contracts and torts. More specifically, through this course, you will:
1. Be able to recognize and apply basic principles of law to various problems which businesses,
entrepreneurs, and operations professionals may face.
2. Consider ethical and philosophical constructs in the legal and business environment.
3. Distinguish between legal systems in the United States and elsewhere in the world.
4. Evaluate the roles and activities of juries.
5. Recognize fundamental issues of international and comparative law.
6. Know the essential concepts of intellectual property.
7. Recognize the formation, dissolution, and contractual or tort liability of agency relationships.
8. Identify the major forms of business organization and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
9. Know the process for forming corporations and some essential corporate law concepts.
10. Distinguish the roles of shareholders, directors, and officers.
11. Understand legal and ethical considerations in corporate governance.
12. Recognize some basic constitutional doctrines, especially due process and free speech issues.
13. Be able to identify, analyze and evaluate the elements of a contract.
14. Know what to look for involving contract issues, such as what binds/discharges parties to a
contract.
15. Know the main issues/principles associated with employment discrimination claims or related
issues.
16. Evaluate the roles and activities of lawyers.
17. Evaluate the roles and activities of judges.
18. Explain how courts function.
19. Explain how lawsuits proceed; prepare a plan to bring or respond to a lawsuit.
20. Understand fundamental elements of criminal law and torts, including defenses.
21. Identify basic, practical concepts of law in risk management and proactive business planning.
By the end of the semester, you will have a good grasp of many basic legal principles; you will
have gone beyond just memorizing or recognizing some facts and theories. Indeed, this course will
enable you to better understand current events in law and the business world and will provide a solid
framework for any subsequent courses you may take in law or business.
Library Resources
Students are encouraged to use the many resources available at and through the University of
Florida libraries. The following are certain web addresses which may be useful:
Library Homepage http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/ (for all library services and collections)
Course Reserves https://ares.uflib.ufl.edu/ (for hard copy and/or electronic reserves)

Ask-A-Librarian http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/ask/ (direct email or online chat for assistance)

IR @ UF http://ufdcweb1.uflib.ufl.edu/ufdc/?g=ufirg (to access the UF digital Institutional Repository)
Library Tools and Mobile Apps
htp://www.uflib.ufl.edu/tools/ (smart phone apps, RSS feeds, and much more)
Subject Guides/Specialists
http://apps.uflib.ufl.edu/staffdir/SubjectSpecialist.aspx (by discipline and/or course)
ABOUT THE TAs
There are several very talented, intelligent and personable UF law student TAs. There also are
many smart, capable, nice volunteers; these Undergrad Assistants (UAs) are accomplished, interesting
students who did quite well in BUL 4310 - all happy to help Prof. Emerson, the law TAs, and you!
ABOUT YOUR PROFESSOR
I am the Huber Hurst Professor of Business Law at the University of Florida, where I have taught
since 1988.
Born February 13, 1957, in Washington, D.C., I grew up in the Maryland suburbs of D.C. I earned
my B.A., in three years, from the University of the South (Sewanee, Tennessee), graduating Phi Beta
Kappa and Summa Cum Laude. After graduating from Harvard Law School with a J.D. in 1982, I practiced
law for six years in Baltimore, mainly in litigation. However, because nearly four of those years were with a
smaller firm (about 20-30 lawyers), I also had a variety of work in contracting, corporate, contracting,
criminal, employment, intellectual property, real estate, wills, and many other matters (e.g., tort actions
involving insurance claims, malpractice, other negligence, and wrongs related to land use or alleged
defamation, false imprisonment, battery or other personal harms).
While a part-time business law instructor at Johns Hopkins University and Harford Community
College, 1983-88, I caught the teaching bug and in March 1988 landed a job at UF. Here, I have
authored several dozen law review articles, numerous books, many book chapters and some scholarly
studies. Former chair of UFs Management Department, I have received a number of awards, including 15
UF Teacher of the Year awards, the international Business Law Academys John Bonsignore Career Award
for Outstanding Contributions to Undergradate Legal Studies Education in Aug. 2016, and seven American
Business Law Ass'n and Academy of Legal Studies in Business (ALSB) best article awards.
I was the ALSB Research Symposium Director for many years, am past President of the Southeastern
ALSB, and in 2014 received the Senior Scholar Award. Having served for five years (2010-15) on the
Editorial Board of the American Business Law Journal, including as Editor-in-Chief, I am now that journals
Advisory Editor.
My primary research interests are all aspects of the legal system related to franchising, and
comparative legal procedure. I try to incorporate comparative law, particularly from the French or German
legal systems, into much of my work, although the emphasis remains American law. In line with that
interest, my scholarly and teaching experience has become much more international in the last several
years. In June 2008, I was inducted as an inaugural member (the only North American representative) of
the Conseil Scientifique for the International Union of Judicial Officers (IUJO), a 90-nation organization
based in Paris. I was a keynote speaker at the triennial IUJO conferences in Marseille September 2009
and in Madrid June 2015 and was one of three reporters (an editor and panel organizer) for the
conference in Cape Town in May 2012. Invited as a speaker for the International Distribution Institute, the
International Society of Franchising, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Brussels Distribution
Conference, the Academy of Legal Studies in Business, and the International Chamber of Commerce, I
have repeatedly served on numerous legal associations and panels and have been a visiting law prof or
lecturer on franchising and/or procedural issues at numerous universities for both faculty and students in the United States (e.g., Cornell, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State,
Stanford, Texas, U. Penn (Wharton), and Wake Forest) and abroad (e.g., INSEAD, HEC-Paris, SciencesPo, Sorbonne, Dublin Inst. of Technology, Grenoble EM, London School of Business, MBAI-Paris,
Universit de Montpellier Law School, ESC-Rouen, Heidelberg University, Muenster University, and
Catania University). Your prof has met and conferred on research with law faculty and legal practitioners

from dozens of nations (every continent except Antarctica). I also have worked as an arbitrator, board
member, textbook and law journal reviewer, and advisor, as well as a franchise law consultant, including
expert testimony before Congress.
I enjoy, among other things, drama, baseball, and history. Ive appeared in many local drama and
dance productions as well as in a documentary films historical reenactment. I am the proud father of three
spectacular (now grown) children, for whom my wife should take the credit.